A fair target score calculation method for reduced-over one day and T20 international cricket matches

In one day internationals and T20 cricket games, the par score is defined as the runs scored by the team batting first. To win the game, the team batting second has to reach the target score which is one run more than the par score. In these games, a decision has to be reached within the allocated time and if there are interruptions, then the number of balls allocated to one or both teams may be reduced. In such a situation, the target score is currently adjusted using the Duckworth Lewis (D/L) method. However, D/L method delivers unrealistic target scores for certain cases exhibiting its unfairness. In this paper, we analyse and identify the reason behind these unrealistic values and propose a method that calculates a fair target score in all situations. The paper also compares the target scores calculated using our proposed method with that of D/L method for a number of example scenarios. It has been concluded that the proposed method is intrinsically fair and should be considered in place of D/L method.